Improvement in sectional tablets for teaching music



J. JUCH. SECTIONAL 'VII'ABLIET FOR TEACHING MUSIC, m. No.176,471. Patented April 25, 1876.

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U ITED STATES PATENT orrron.

JUSTIN JUUH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN SECTIONAL TABLETS FOR TEACHING MUSIC, &c.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 176,471, dated April 25, 1876; application filed February 21, 1876.

.To all whom ,t't may concern Be it known that I, JUSTIN JUoH, of New York city, New York, have invented an Improved Sectional Tablet for Teaching Music, of which the following is a specification:

Figure 1 is a face view of a frame containing myimproved sectional tablets. Fig.2 is a vertical transverse section of the same. Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are detail face views of tablets, and Fig. 7 is a face view of a modification of the invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

This invention relates to improved tablets for teaching music; and consists, first, in providing each of the tablets, on one or both of their sides, with the representation of a musical staff, the same being so arranged that when two or more of the tablets are placed side by side, the lines forming'the staffs on the several tablets will be continuous, and, at the same time, in so shaping the several tablets that by their length they will indicate the value of the note or notes, pause, or other musical character inscribed on such tablet. The invention further consists in the use of a frame adapted for receiving my improved tablets,

and exposing both sides thereof to view.

In the drawing, the letters A, B, G, D, E, F, G, and H represent sectional musical tablets of rectangular form, made of pasteboard or other proper material. Each of these tab lets is provided on its face with the representation of a musical staff, as shown. The staffs are arranged in such a manner on theseveral tablets that when the same are placed side by side, as in Fig. 1, the lines forming the staffs on the several tablets will be continuous, and thereby form a single continuous staff extending through the entire series of tablets. On these staffs are marked the notes, pauses, or other musical characters to be taught. The length of the staff on each of the tablets varies with the temporal value of the character or characters which are respectively represented on such tablets. Thus the staff on the tablet D, which carries a sixteenth-note, or the staff on the tablet F, which carries a sixteenthpause, is half as long only as that on the tablet H, which carries two sixteenth-notes or one eighth-note. The staff on this tablet is, again,

half as long as that on the tablet G, which carries a quarter-note, and the staff on this half as long as that on the tablets A or E, which carry a half or two quarter notes, or a halfpause. or the like. The length of the staff on the tablet B, representing a triplet of eighthnote's, is of a size equal to that on the tablet G, which represents a quarter-note, thus indicating that a triplet in music occupies the time only of two of its constituents. A dotted note, represented on tablet 0, increases the note by one-half its length, and the staff illustrating a dotted eighth has,therefore, the same length as the staffs on the tablets D and H. jointly. On this principle children will readily learn the actual value of musical characters with reference to the proportionate length of staff in which they are placed. 1 is a frame arranged for the display of the tablets and for additional use of the same. It is, preferably, a wooden frame, of rectangular form, and of a size to receive several of the tablets. This frame I is open in front and back to display both the .faces and the explanatory marks, if used, on.

the backs of the tablets. The upper rail a of the frame is slotted to admit the tablets, as shown in Fig. 2. A slide, J, provided with a friction-spring or other steadying device,-is placed in the opening of the frame. The bot tom and top rails of the frame, or either of them, are, furthermore, marked with the varying measures used in music from -3- to or The sizes of the tablets and of the stafi's represented thereon are such that when the space from the left end of the frame to the g mark is filled, the exact value of one whole note will be represented, and in the same proportion with the other marks. Achild can thus make up any measure and ascertain the value of the notes, pauses, &c., used therein. Thus, if a pupil, by reference to Fig. 1, should, for instance, have the impression that the staff on the tablet B actually represents the value of a three-eighth-note, he would soon find the mistake by ascertaining that the tablets A, B, and O, or A, B, F, and H, and the staffs represented thereon, do not fill in the frame the space from zero to the mark. The slide is moved in line with the mark up to which the frame is to be filled. v

In Fig. 7,1 have shown a modification of my sectional tablets, which consists in making them and the staffs thereon represented in segments of a circle, the length ofstaff on each tablet corresponding to the value of the character on such tablet, so that when a full circle is produced by the several staffs, by the placing together of two or more segmental tablets, the entire length of the circular staff Will represent as many notes or pauses, or both, as Will make up a Whole note.

I claim as my invention 1. The sectional musical tablets herein described, having upon their faces representations of the stafi' and the musical characters, said tablets varying in Width in relation to the measure, so thatthe length of staff on each tablet Will indicate the value of the musical character placed on such staff, substantially as specified.

2. The frame I, open in front and back, having the slotted upper rail a and provided with measures of length, in combination with the sectional musical tablets arranged to slide therein, substantially as specified.

3. In combination with the slotted frame I, the movable spring-slide J, substantially as herein shown and described.

JUSTIN JUOH. Witnesses:

ERNEST (J. WEBB,

A. MORAGA. 

